Dusting-machin



B. L. WEAVER. DUSTING MACHINE. APPUCAHON HLED Auehl. ms.

1 ,3 1 0,81 5 Patented July 22, 1919.

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B. L. WEAVER. DUSTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED mm. was.

Patented July 22, 1919.

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' I I rney BENT L. WEAVER, or HARRISBURG, BENNSYLVANIA. DUsTmG-MAGHII Q Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

Application filed August 1, 1918. Serial No. 247,715.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENT L. WEAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dusting- Machines. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for dusting or placing upon trees and plants an insecticide or fungicide or both in the form of powder or dust and by (tihe aid of a current of air for carrying the ust.

The object of my invention is to provide a dusting machine of novel, simple and cilicient construction by means of which the dust may be expeditiously spread in a thin film of any desired density upon the trees or plants being treated with very little waste. and by means of which a large volume of air may be caused to carry a comparatively small quantity of dust thoroughly mixed therewith and the proportions of air and dust may be nicely regulated.

With the above and related objects in view the nature of my invention and the characteristic features thereof will be hereinafter described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention,

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a dusting machine illustrating one form of embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail showing the hopper valve.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the end of the casing having the outlet passage therein, showing the mixing blades therein.

Fig. 4 is a section through the lower portion of the hopper and the casing inclosing the air passages, omitting the dust valve, as seen at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 1s a. horizontal section through the hopper, n line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the casing containing the air passages, on line 6-6 of Fig. 1, showing the air controlling valve therein.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a hopper comprising a vertically-extending cylindrical wall 3, a top wall 4 and a bottom wall 7. The upper and lower end portions of the wall 3 are inclosed within flanges 8 and 9, progecting from the top and bottom walls 4 and respectively. The cylindrical wall 3 rests upon the bottom wall 7 and supports the top wall 4. and the walls are firmly secured together by suitable stay rods or bolts 10 which connect brackets 11 and 12 projecting from the flanges 8 and 9, as clearly shown in the drawings.

The top wall 4 of the hopper 2 is provided with an opening 13 through which dust may be introduced thereto, and the opening 13 is normally closed by a suitable door 14 which is hinged to the wall 4, at 15, and which may be readily opened for the introduction of the dust to the'hopper. The bottom wall 7 of the hopper 2 is made conical or tapered, so that the dust within the hopper will feed by gravity down to the cen tral discharge opening 16 in the bottom of the hopper 2.

The hopper 2 is supported upon a casing 17 which is provided with suitable legs or feet 18 which are adapted to rest upon any suitable support which carries the machine, the hopper wall 7 being preferably cast integral with the casing 17. The casing 17 incloses two separate, parallel passages 19 and 20, and passages 21 and 22 which communicate with the rearward and forward ends, respectively, of the separate passages 19 and 20. whereby when air is blown into the passage 21 it will pass through the separate passages 19 and 20 and into and through the passage 22, the volume of air introduced being divided by the partition wall between the passa cs 19 and 20, and the divided portions of t e air volume uniting within the single passage 22. The hopper 2 communicates with t e passage 19 by means of the opening 16 to permit the dust within the hopper 2 to feed by gravity into the passage 19.

The passage 21 is connected to the discharge pipe 23 of a blower 24 which is mounted on the support carrying the machine and which may be of any approved type and operated from any suitable source of power to drive a current of air through the passages, 21, 19, 20 and 22. The air passing through the passage 19 carries with it the dust discharged from the opening 16, and the dust thus carried from the opening 16 is mixed with the full volume of air from the blower 24 within the passage 22 and within a flexible ipe 25 attached to the casing 17 and leading from the passage 22. The free end of the pipe 25 is provided with a suitable nozzle 26 by means of which the air current carrying the dust may be directed to the trees or plants to be treated.

The casing 17 is provided with lip or flange 27 which extends into the p age 19 from the wall thereof adjacent to d rearwardly of the opening 16. The lip or flange 27 extends on an incline toward the wall of the passage 19 opposite to the opening 16 and toward the discharging passage 22 and forms a bailie to deflect the air coming from the blower 24, from the opening 16 and thus prevents the air from entering the hopper 2 and causing back pressure therein.

To thoroughly mix the dust with the full volume of the air carrier passing through the passage 22 and pipe 25, I provide the wall of the passage 22 with a series of inw ardly'projecting, spiral-like, spaced blades 28 which produces a swirling action of the entire air current and thus effects the desired mixture. By this means the air carrier issuing from the nozzle 26 spreads the dust over a wide area and deposits the desired thin film thereof upon the trees or plants being treated when the machine is in service.

Within the passage 21, adjacent to the rearward end of the passage 19, is a butter fly valve 29 carried by a shaft 30 which is mounted to turn in the casing 17 and which is adapted to control the quantity of air entering the passage 19 when the blower 24 is in operation. One end of the shaft 30 extends outwardly and is provided with a handle 31 by means of which the valve 29 may be adjusted. The handle 31 has a projecting tooth 32 adapted to engage any one of a series of notches formed in a sector 33 on the casing 17 to hold the valve 29 in any desired position of adjustment. An additional valve 50 is provided to control the air passing through the passage 20 when desired.

Extending centrally within the hop er 2 is a vertically-arranged, tubular shagt 34 which is mounted to turn in a bearing 35 on the top wall 4, and in a, bearingiiifi supported by arms extending from the ottm wall 7 f the hopper. The shaft 34 extends above the bearing 35 and has a collar 37 secured thereon which is provided with an outwardly extending handle 38 by means of which the shaft 34 may be turned. The shaft 34 carries a set of spaced agitators 39 which project radially therefrom and which are adapted to loosen or break up the body of dust within the hopper 2, when the handle 38 is operated to turn the shaft 34. The handle 38 is turned for this purpose when the dust becomes packed within the hopper 2 or for any reason fails to feed properly to and through the discharge opening 16 in the bottom of the hopper.

The quantity of dust feeding through the opening 16 from the hopper 2 to the passage 19 is regulated and controlled by a disk valve 40 which. is secured to and carried by the lower end of a long stem or rod 41 which extends up through and above the tubular shaft 34. The valve 40 is forced down or toward its seat, formed by the wall 7 around the opening 16, by a sprin 4.2 which encircles the rod 41 between the earing 3(3 and a collar or washer on the stem 41. The upper end portion of the stem 41 is screwthreaded, and has a collar 43 screwed thereon which acts against the top of the collar 37 and limits the downward movement of the valve 40 by the action of the spring 42. It will thus be understood that by turning the collar 43 in one direction, the valve 40 may be raised from its seat to increase the quantity of dust permitted to pass through the opening 16, and that by turning the collar 43 in the reverse direction, the spring 42 will be permitted to force the valve 40 toward its seat to decrease the quantity of dust permitted to pass through the opening 16. The collar 43 is provided with a suitable handle 44 by means of which it may be turned to adjust the valve 40, and the valve 40 has a notch 45 therein the walls of which embrace a key or flange 46 on the bottom wall 7 of the hopper 2 and prevent the valve 40 and stem 34 from turning when the collar 43 is turned.

The entire machine may be mounted upon a suitable wagon or carriage for transportation to and among the trees, plants, etc, to be treated with the dust.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The dust which is to be spread upon the trees, plants or vines, as the case may be, is introduced to the hopper 2 through the opening 13. This dust may include in its ingredients, sulfur, lead arsenate, Paris green, hydrated lime, etc, the ingredients being determined by the nature of the disease to be treated or the insects to be killed.

After the hopper 2 has been supplied with the dust, power is applied to the blower 24 and the operation thereof drives a current of air through the passages 21, 19, 20 and 22 and through the delivery pipe 25 and out through the nozzle 26. The collar 43 is then turned to adjust the valve 40 into the position in which it will permit the air current passing through the passage 19 to draw the desired quantity of dust through the opening 16 from the hopper 2 and into the current of air which acts as a carrier for the dust.

The volume of'air from the blower divides into two parts at the valve 29, one part thereof passing throu h the passage 19 and the other part thereo passing through the passage 20, and the two parts of the divided volume rejoin each other upon enterin the passage 22. The part of the air volume traversing the passage 19 is impregnate with the dust from the hopper 2, as previously explained, and, when the two parts of the air volume come together again within the passage 22, they are thoroughly mixed therein and within the delivery pipe 25 by the swirling action of the entire volume produced by the blades 28. Thus the entire air volume becomes thoroughly impregnated with the dust taken from the hopper 2 and is discharged from the nozzle 26 in a cloud of uniform density. s the cloud of dust issues from the nozzle 26, the nozzle is manipulated by hand to direct the dust to and upon the trees, plants or vines being treated and is spread over the same in a thin film.

Should the dust fail to feed properly from the hopper 2 through the opening 16, for the desired mixture delivered from the nozzle 26, the handle 38 may be operated to turn the agitators 39, thereby loosening the dust within the hopper and facilitating the feeding thereof, as previously explained.

It is economical to deliver a lean dust mixture to the trees or plants by the aid of a large volume of air as a carrier, for the reason that by this method a very small percentage of the dust will be lost by falling to the ground; and I have discovered that by dividing the air volume, introducing the dust to one portion of the divided portions of the volume by the aid of the separate passages 19 and 20, I am enabled to deliver a uniform lean dust mixture in a comparatively large volume of air. I have discovered further that by the aid of the valve 29, controlling the amount of air that traverses the passage 19, in combination with the aid of the valve 40, controlling the quantity of dust which enters the passage 19, I am enabled to regulate to a nicety the degree of richness or leanness of the full volume of air and dust discharged by the nozzle 26.

I claim 1. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having a single inlet passage, a single outlet passage, and two separate passages having independent communication at the respective ends thereof with said inlet passage and said outlet passage, means operative to force air through said passages, and a dust hopper formed independently of said passages and having adischarging opening in communication with one of said separate passages between said inlet passage and said outlet passage.

2. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having a single inlet passage, a single outlet passage, and two separate passages having independent communication at the respective ends thereof with said inlet passage and said outlet passage, means operative to force air through said passages, a dust hop-per formed independently of said passages and having a discharging opening in communication with one of said separate passages between said inlet passage and said outlet passage, and means within the outlet passage to mix the air and dust passing therethrough.

3. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having two separate passages and a single passage communicating therewith and having a discharging outlet, means operative to force air through said passages, a dust hopper communicating with one of said separate passages, and means to regulate the quantity of dust passing from said hopper and into the last named passage.

4. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing havlng two separate passages and a single passage communicating therewith and having a discharging outlet, means operative to force air through said passages, a dust hopper communicating with one of said separate passages, means to regulate the quantity of dust passing from said hopper and into the last named passage, and means within said single passage to mix the air and dust passing therethrough.

5. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having a single inlet passage, a single outlet passage, and two separate passages having independent communication at the respective ends thereof with said inlet passage and said outlet passage, means operative to force air through said passages, a dust hopper formed independently of said passages and having a discharging opening in communication with one of said separate passages between said inlet passage and said outlet passage, and means to regulate the quantity of air passing through the passage which is in communication with said hop- P 6. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having two separate passages and a single passage communicating therewith and having a discharging outlet, means operative to force air through said passages, a dust hopper communicating with one of said separate passages, means to regulate the quantity of dust passing from said hopper and into the last named passage, and means to regulate the quantity of air passing through the last named passage.

7. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having two separate passages and a single inlet passage communicating with said separate passages at one en thereof and a single discharging passage communicating with said separate passages at the other end thereof and having a discharging outlet, means operative to force air into said inlet passage, and a dust hopper communicating with one of said separate passages.

8. In a dusting machine, the combination of a casing having two separate passages and a single inlet passage communicating with said separate passages at one end let assage to one of said separate passages, thereof and a single discharging passage an a dust hopper commumcating with the communicating With said separate passages last named passe e. 10 at the other end thereof and having a dis- In testimony w ereof I afiix my signature charging outlet, means operative to force hereto. air into said inlet passage, a valve to regulate the quantity of air passing from the in- BENT L. WEAVER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

